Missing child found dead on river bank in Kerala

A six-year-old girl who was missing since Thursday morning from Kollam in Kerala was found dead in a river close to her house.

Devananda, daughter of Pradeep Kumar and Dhanya of Pallimon, about 15 kilometres from Kollam city, was reported missing from her house all on a sudden by around 11 am on Thursday. After extensive searches, the body was spotted on the bushy banks of the river close to her house by Friday morning. Police suspect that it could be a case of accidental drowning.

Child missing cases have been on a rise with over 400 such cases reported in the last one year alone in Kerala. As soon as Devananda's missing was reported, the police launched an extensive search in the nearby areas and also alerted all nearby police station. The information was also widely circulated through social media.

Devananda was playing in her house on Thursday morning with her six-month-old sibling. Her mother was washing clothes outside the house. When the mother returned after about 15 minutes, the child was found missing.